A new contest record
679.9432
highest overall ever cooked here
679.9432 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 678.2858 QUAU set in 2013.
- old record 678.2858
- set 2013 by QUAU
Poor Que 2015
Jun 5–6, 2015 · Montello, WI
YELLOW RIVER BBQ won Grand Champion at the Poor Que on June 5, 2015 in Montello, WI, scoring 679.9432 in a field of 38 teams. A FINE SWINE took Reserve Grand Champion with 674.8116. Category winners: Chicken — YELLOW RIVER BBQ (178.8572); Pork Ribs — A FINE SWINE (173.1544); Pork — FOUNDING FATHERS BBQ (172.5600); Brisket — 5 FINGER BBQ (177.1428). This is the 3rd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2014 edition was won by QUAU; the next was held in 2016.
The contest at a glance (read off the scored boards)
How the field scored
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
563.83
median 635.04
679.94 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.86
- Pork Ribs 173.15
- Pork 172.56
- Brisket 177.14
114.14
178.86
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2016 — this edition picked out.
Entries
38
4 judged meats
Top score
679.9432
Winning margin
5.1316
GC over RC
Field average
631.33
563.83679.94
median 635.04 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
3.4860 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
661.0972
563.83679.94
10th place overall
Field spread
116.1144
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 89%
beats 11% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
42%
16 of 38 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.38 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,518
avg power rating going in · stronger than 13% of contests
Storylines (6 found in this contest's numbers)
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 4 tracked editions
QUAU has won this contest 2 times across its 4 tracked editions.
- 2013
- 2014
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 10 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 2–3: SMOKE 2 PULL and ABOVE THE BRIDGE BBQ tied on 171.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 4–5: A FINE SWINE and TOO POOR TO SCORE tied on 168.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 3–4: ABOVE THE BRIDGE BBQ edged A FINE SWINE by 0.0116.
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · tie
- Pork 4–5 · tie
- Pork 3–4 · 0.0116
- Pork 7–8 · 0.0116
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
YELLOW RIVER BBQ took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 15th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 15th
- Pork 6th
- Brisket 3rd
A contest record in brisket
177.1428
best brisket ever cooked here
5 FINGER BBQ turned in 177.1428 in brisket — past the 173.1430 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 173.1430
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: QUAU (won 2013, 2014).
- QUAU · 2013, 2014
Score curves (score by finishing position — steep cliffs mean a spread field, flat lines a knife fight)
Category showdown (top / average / median score per meat)
Score distribution
Biggest rating movers (power-rating points won and lost at this contest)
Did form hold? (pre-contest rating vs overall finish — ratings called it if the dots climb to the right)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 2013 | Montello, WI | Montello, WI | 39 | 678.2858 | QUAU | BRINGIN' THE HEAT |
| Jun 6, 2014 | Montello, WI | Montello, WI 54968 | 38 | 670.8456 | QUAU | SMOKIN CROATIANS |
| Jun 5, 2015 ← this one | Montello, WI | Montello, WI 54968 | 38 | 679.9432 | YELLOW RIVER BBQ | A FINE SWINE |
| Jun 3, 2016 | Montello, WI | Wilderness Campground | 30 | 692.0004 | BRINGIN' THE HEAT | TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 170.8572 | 166.8456 |
| Pork Ribs | 173.1544 | 169.6684 | 167.3944 |
| Pork | 172.5600 | 168.5600 | 165.6800 |
| Brisket | 177.1428 | 169.7372 | 163.9544 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
38 entries · top 679.9432 · median 635.0398
Chicken
38 entries · top 178.8572 · median 159.4456
Pork Ribs
38 entries · top 173.1544 · median 157.1200
Pork
38 entries · top 172.5600 · median 159.6514
Brisket
38 entries · top 177.1428 · median 158.8000